‘Iconic’ Borg-Warner Trophy is measurement of Indy 500 time, history
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Bruce Martin
Special to FOXSports.com
INDIANAPOLIS — When the Borg-Warner Trophy appeared for the first time in Victory Lane after the 1936 Indianapolis 500, it had plenty of room on the original trophy to display the faces of the winning drivers, beginning with Ray Harroun in 1911.
But it ran out of room on the original trophy after Bobby Rahal won the Indianapolis 500 in 1986.
The solution was to mount the 80-pound, 4-foot-tall trophy on an additional base, beginning with the 1987 Indianapolis 500.
Rahal was the last driver’s face on the original trophy and Al Unser the first on the base after he won his fourth Indy 500 in 1987.
Today, the Borg-Warner Trophy is 110-pounds and 5-foot-four-inches-and-three-quarters tall.
As each Indianapolis 500 has passed and more winners have been added to the base of the trophy, it will once again run out of space in 2034.
BorgWarner’s creative team is working on a solution when the base fills up with the addition of a second base that will feature the winner of the 2035 Indianapolis 500 as its first face.
“We’re still throwing that around — what the second base is going to look like. But the last time we did this, we added on a complete additional base, which makes the trophy stand even taller, allowing for many more faces to come,” BorgWarner CEO Joseph Fadool said Saturday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “Between now and then, we’ll figure out the right approach to do it or maybe something a little bit different.
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“The unique thing over time, the trophy actually grows in size and stature and importance, so I think it’s just fitting for the importance of Indy.”
The Borg-Warner Trophy is really a measurement of time and the history of the Indianapolis 500. Each face represents a different tale, a different era and a glimpse back in time.
“What a great way to put that,” Fadool said. “As we talked about, the trophy is growing in stature, growing physically, becoming even more important over time and just represents excellence and teamwork, which is all that takes to win this race.
“We’re just proud to be a part of it, and I know all of our BorgWarner employees just love to be a part of this INDYCAR Series, especially here at the Indianapolis 500.”
It all began back in 1935. Before the Borg-Warner Trophy, there was the Wheeler-Schebler Trophy.
It was initially awarded to the leader of the race at the 400-mile mark. It was retired when owner Harry Hartz won it three times. The Borg-Warner Trophy was commissioned in 1935 and officially became the annual prize for Indianapolis 500 victors in 1936.
The Art Deco design of the Borg-Warner Trophy includes wings on the side that symbolize the speed of flight. But the most unique feature was the sculpted faces representing each of the 24 drivers who had already won the race when the trophy debuted in 1936.
The driver that won it that day was Louie Meyer, the first three-time winner of the Indianapolis 500. As the new Borg-Warner Trophy was placed on the back of his winning race car, Meyer asked for a cold bottle of buttermilk, becoming the first driver to have milk as his victory celebration after winning the Indianapolis 500.
Two great traditions were created on the same day in 1936.
Since then, every race winner has had his face added to this iconic trophy, which has become the symbol for reaching the pinnacle of performance.
Winners do not get to take the Borg-Warner Trophy home. It stays on permanent display at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.
Winning drivers and team owners receive a sterling silver replica of the trophy which is fondly referred to as the Baby Borg. After the winner’s sterling silver image is attached to the main trophy, a replica image is attached to the Baby Borg’s lacquered wood base.
William Behrends has been sculpting the faces of the Indy 500 winners since 1990. The 2024 winner, Josef Newgarden, was the 35th face he has sculpted for the trophy.
Behrends, who began sculpting when he was 26 years old, has been commissioned to immortalize a wide variety of subjects. Those subjects include Baseball Hall of Famer Willie Mays, automotive pioneer Henry Ford II, golf legend Bobby Jones, and Supreme Court Justice John Marshall, who was Chief Justice of the United States from 1801 to 1835. Behrends grew up in Wisconsin and has always had a special place in his heart for the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”
“Growing up in the Midwest, I was always aware of the Indianapolis 500,” Behrends said. “The first race I really noticed was 1963 when Parnelli (Jones) won. I was really fascinated by him and that win stuck in my memory.
“Each year I look forward to working with the Indy 500 winner to capture his emotions and spirit so they can be part of the Borg-Warner Trophy for years and years to come.”
Then, there is the tale of Jack Mackenzie, who was once the caretaker of the Borg-Warner Trophy.
Mackenzie was a student at Butler University in Indianapolis when he became the caretaker of the trophy in 1953. He earned $75 for his first year in that role and was responsible for transporting the trophy to various events throughout the month of May.
Mackenzie stored the 80-pound sterling silver trophy in his dorm room at his fraternity house. He hauled it around town in the backseat of his car, often covering it with an army blanket for added security.
Despite his best efforts, the trophy once vanished from his room in the fraternity house. Mackenzie said when he returned home from a date, the Borg-Warner Trophy was missing.
He eventually found it in the basement of his fraternity house where it was being used as an impromptu drinking vessel.
Mackenzie relinquished his trophy duties following the 1983 Indianapolis 500 saying at the time, “I’ve had my fun, I’ve enjoyed going to all the different activities associated with the speedway. It’s time to let somebody else have some fun.”
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway has maintained control of the Borg-Warner Trophy ever since.
“It’s something all the drivers look forward to having their face on if they can win the Indianapolis 500,” Indianapolis Motor Speedway and INDYCAR President Doug Boles said.
Bruce Martin is a veteran motorsports writer and contributor to FOXSports.com. Follow him on X at @BruceMartin_500.
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